Local High Schools Participate in National School Walkout By Sophie Corbett, junior at Carondelet High School

Apr 03, 2018 08:36PM
● By Elena Hutslar

Local
High Schools Participate in National School Walkout

By Sophie Corbett, junior at Carondelet High School

On Wednesday, March 14, several local high schools, including
Alhambra, Carondelet, College Park, De La Salle, and Northgate, joined
thousands of schools across the country and participated in the national school
walkout, a protest against gun violence, particularly in schools.

The walkout took place exactly one month after 17 students and
teachers lost their lives in a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School in Parkland, Florida. Students walked out of class from 10am to 10:17am;
each minute represented one of the seventeen victims. Students who participated
did so to honor the seventeen lives lost and to call for gun reform laws.

“Enough is enough,” said College Park junior Ana Perez. “I
participated to stand for those students that don’t feel safe at school because
guns are very easily obtained.” Students had signs and wore orange to represent
their support for stricter laws. “I think it’s time for our elected officials
to start making changes to our current gun laws,” said Payton Martin, a junior
at Carondelet. The walkout was completely student led and organized. “It’s
really inspiring to see teenagers around the country step up and make their
voices heard, and I’m glad that my school provided a safe space for us to be a
part of this powerful movement,” added Payton.

Students at Carondelet and De La Salle staged their protest on the
sidewalks of Winton Drive, the street that connects the two sibling schools.
Alhambra students poured onto their football field, and at College Park there
was a school organized protest in addition to the student led walkout.
Northgate even organized an entire week full of activities, including having
discussions about mental health and writing letters to elected officials. While
not every student chose to participate, all schools in the area saw a large
turnout. It is evident that our local high school students are advocating for
change and speaking up for what they believe in.